Magic is not useful in matters of Love
by XoKaraXo
Summary: When Vic, Ted, Rosie, Scorpius, Al, Lyn, and Lily get together for a month during the summer, you know things are going to be amazing. Relationships, memories and true love are all in the stars for these young adults, the only question is if everything will be fulfilled by the end of the month.
1. Departure

**Hey guys! Here's a story I've had running around in my head for a while now. It take place between Rose and Scorpius's 6th and 7th year, in the summer. Ted and Vic are together already, FYI. (I'm going to write about them soon, don't worry.) There are a lot of OCs, so sorry if you don't like them. Updates will probably be very frequent. Okay, enjoy chapter 1! (This is just an intro chapter!)**

"I cannot wait!" exclaimed Rose Weasley as she raced out from the garden. She had been waiting for this summer expedition for months now, and now that she and her best friend Lyn were back from Hogwarts, they were ready to kick back and enjoy the summer. "Hugooooo, hurry." Hugo appeared at the front of the flat, dragging a heavy suitcase filled to the brim with books, books, more books, and clothes for the summer. "Mom, why does Rosie get to go and I don't?" demanded Hugo, between pants as he pulled the ivory suitcase. "We've been over this Hugo, you're only 15, and Rose just turned 17. Before she goes to Hogwarts for her last year, she and Lyn, Albus, Scorpius and Lily get to go. As well as Ted and Vic, of course" Hermione Granger replied as she appeared at the back door.

"Ready to go?" she asked Rose. "Yep!" Rose exclaimed as she tossed her long curls into a high ponytail. "Don't forget Mom, we have to wait for Lily." "oh right," hermione said.

Luckily for the impatient teen, the 15 year old strolled out the front door. 5 ft 5 inches of pure weasley, Lily had gotten her mom's orangey-red shade, that stuck out as soft curls that cascaded down her back. Lily however, much preferred when she straightened it to pure red straight long locks.

The real reason Lily was going on the most-awaited trip was because her 4th boyfriend of 2 months, Darren had cheated on her, much to her dismay. He had gotten what he deserved, but Lily's sunny outlook at-life had been greatly dampered much to the dismay of her parents. That's why Rose was so relieved to see a relaxed smile on her favourite girl cousin's face. But Rose's gaze was soon distracted by the next two visitors stepping out the front porch.

Albus Potter was there, waving a hand at her, but she was looking at the 6 ft 1 inch God standing beside him. _It should be illegal to look that good…_ remarked Rose as she stared at Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpious and Albus had been inseparable ever since their first year in Hogwarts, when the whole school watched as they were sorted into Gryffindor. You could imagine the uproar, him being the first ever malfoy to be anywhere but Slytherin, but he couldn't have cared less. And even those who held a grudge against his family had to admit he couldn't be more different than his father. Looks-wise, they were very similar, with the pale blonde hair and grey eyes, but personalities were very, very different. Rose sighed, it seemed as if he was nice to everyone but her.

Albus Potter couldn't be more excited to go on a month-long vacation, with his best friend, his favourite cousin, and no James to ruin it! Okay, and maybe the fact that Brooklyn Wood, Rose's best friend was tagging along had something to do with it. Speaking of Lyn, where was she? He turned to face Rose to ask her, only to find she was already staring in his direction with a scrunched up look on her face. Wait, she wasn't looking at him, but rather the being that was beside him, and he happened to be staring right back at her. Albus chuckled, and went to go help Aunt Hermione.

Lyn Wood raced down the dusty windy road. She was going to be late, again. Why, oh why had mum waken her up so late? She played with the ends of her shortened hair. Would they get a shock out of seeing her new style? Only time would tell.

"Okay, let's do a roll-call." "Really, Vic? A role call?" remarked Teddy dryly, but the glare the petite blonde sent at him was enough to keep him quiet. "Okay, Al?" "Here!" "Scorpius?" "here." "Rosie?" "Here!" The undaunted enthusiasm was so clear in her tone that Scorpius had to bite his lip from chuckling. She, had noticed however, and sent a glare his way. "Lyn?" "Hereeeeee." "Lils?" "Present!" "And, our lovely assistant, Ted?" "HERE." "Great! That's everyone, let's go." Rose turned to give one last hug to her mom. "Say bye to Dad again for me." she murmured to her. "Of course." And with that, the seven were gone.


	2. New Home, for a month

**Wsp! If anyone is actually reading this, hi. That was the first chapter, and I have big plans for this story. In this chapter, you are introduced to a very important character so make sure to review, so I know what you think!**

The 7 bodies tumbled out of mid-air and landed on the ground. Limbs, arms, and bodies all tangled together, it was hard to tell which arm was yours. The only 2 still standing, though they were looking as windswept as everyone, was Ted and Vic.

"Owwwww, I don't remember port keys being that painful…" groaned Lily, as she rubbed her sore leg. "Um Lils, that's my leg?" Albus remarked, which caused Lily to let go immediately. The others stood up as well.

"Come on guys, Hazel is waiting for us!" exclaimed Victoire, as she set off. Teddy shook his head at her, while beckoning for the rest of the crew to follow. They would be staying at Vic's best friend's house. Her name was Hazel, and her cousins were also there. The walk wasn't that far, but long enough to make your legs sore the next day. Somehow, Lyn and Albus found themselves walking side by side.

"So, why were you so late today?" Albus found himself asking her as they walked side by side. She twisted her head to face him, and he found himself admiring her new haircut once more.

"I woke up late..." she admitted, looking down sheepishly. "That's it?" Albus chuckled. "I thought you were going to have a big excuse, like your hair caught on fire, and that's why you cut it off." Lyn looked up at him. "I did cut off my hair, but not because I had too, I just wanted to."

"Oh, that's cool." "Do you like it?" she asked him. He stopped and studied her face. The long strawberry-blonde locks had been cut off to her shoulders, and she had framed them in a messy bun at the top of her head. He blinked, she looked incredible. "You do, it suits you." "Thanks!" beaming, she ran to catch up to Victoire.

A little cottage had just come into view further up. At closer glance, there was a human standing in front. Victoire broke into a run, and the two women collided, lots of laughter and tears. Finally, they looked up. Scorpius observed their host. She was very beautiful, with tan caramel coloured skin, wavy dark brown hair, and golden eyes. She smiled, revealing very brilliant white teeth. But a flash of bright orange caught from the corner of his eye. He turned to see Rose Weasley heading inside the comfy-looking cottage, heaving a very large ivory suitcase. He smirked as he headed after her, after all, that suitcase looks awfully heavy.

Rose sighed as she lugged her suitcase another foot. What had possessed her to pack so much, she'll never know. Rose pushed back her unruly curls into a messy ponytail. "BOO!" screeched the guy that had been on her mind for wayyyy too long. "Scorpius! Don't do that." Rose complained, as she shoved his shoulder.

"Relax Rosie, I got this." Scorpius replied as he lifted her suitcase with ease and carried it into the house. Rose bit back a groan, as she stared at his retreating back. He would treat with her casual indifference, then do something like **this** and shake her whole viewpoint on him. Why were guys so confusing?

Lily stepped into her new house for a month. It was modest, but comfortable. She knew all about humble beginnings. Both of her parents grew up with next to nothing, but had everything now. But even with all of the gold they had, Lily had learned not to take anything for granted. She was so busy admiring the house, she was completely oblivious to the boy who had just walked into the room. It wasn't until the rest of her family walked in, she noticed they were all staring at him. She turned to face him but found he was already staring at her.

"Okay. So roommates. We have 4 bedrooms, not including the master. Each one has 2 beds, and a bathroom is shared between 2 washrooms, again not including the master. So, we have Rosie, and Brooklyn-" Hazel was interrupted by two voices.

"Lyn is just fine…"

"She only goes by Lyn,"

Albus and Lyn turned to face each other, one with a face of shock, and one with bashfulness.

"Okay," Hazel continued, "Me and Rolyn, in the masters, Rosie and Lyn, Scorpius and Albus, and Ted and Vic." The fifteen year old raised her hand. "Um, what about me?" "You left Rook out as well," Rolyn remarked, as she glanced up from her lap. "Yeahhh, about that. We have only one bedroom left, so if you guys would be willing to share?"

"Wait, me and her?"

"Me and that guy?"

"No! Look Lily, I'll bunk with mr. Rook over here. You can room with Vic." Teddy assured her, as he stood up. "Wait, what? Ted!" Victoire protested. "You can't be serious Vic, they just met each other, and you want them to sleep in the same room as each other?" As the two of them went back and forth, Lily felt more uncomfortable than ever. She chanced a glance towards Rook to find he was staring at her again. She smiled, and gestured to the two arguing. He rolled his eyes, but smiled back. Lily wasn't sure what, but there was something about Rook that just captured her attention.

"Okay, break it up. Ted, if it means that much to you, you can room with Rook. Victoire, don't worry, you'll still get your Teddy time. Now let's get unpacking!" And with that, everyone dispersed.

**And that's it! It's still relatively starting out, but we're getting some character development in there. Did you guys figure out who the super-duper important character is? Leave me a comment with your guess! Also, I know that some stories would have put the pairs in the same room, but I didn't feel like they were ready for it. Like, Rook and Lily just met. That would have been AWKWARD! Also, I feel like Rosie and Lyn came on the trip to hang out with each other mainly, so I had to put them together. Okay, see y'all next time! **


	3. Swimming Hole :0

**Sorry for the late update; it's almost the end of the school year, so I've been cramming a ton of tests. But I'm back for the next update of this story! Make sure to review, and let me know what you think :)**

"Wow...can you believe this place?" Lyn exclaimed as she walked into her and Rose's quarters. "No, I can't." Rose said, as she grinned at her best friend. "Oof!" The ivory suitcase Rose had been lugging had dropped on the floor with a huge clang.

"Oh crap, I hope my books are okay!" Rose exclaimed, rushing over to the suitcase. Lyn had to bite back a laugh, her friend cared so much about her books. "Phew, they're fine."

"Listen Rose, Imma unpack and then go to bed. K?" "Yeah, sure." Rose replied. As Lyn headed to her cozy little bed, she shook her head. It was hard to believe that the last few hours had been so crazy, she was exhausted.

NEXT DAY

The clanking of steps meant another person coming down for breakfast. Teddy and Victoire were already enjoying a filling meal of pancakes and syrup. Albus and Scorpius emerged, both looking rather tired. Scorpius let out a big yawn, as he and Al approached the table. Hazel appeared at the doorway, her waves contained in a messy bun.

"So boys, what'll it be? Pancakes, or eggs and bacon?"

Both gave their orders and sat down. At that moment, Rosie and Lyn walked in, still in their pyjamas. It wasn't long before, all 10 of the residents were seated around the table.

"What do you guys want to do today?" asked Rolyn, with a friendly smile. "What about that new swimming hole?" suggested Rook. "Rook! Let the others decide! Sorry about him…" Rolyn scolded. "No, it's fine. The swimming hole sounds fine." agreed Vic, with an eager grin.

"Great, so get your bathing suits on, and be down here in ten!" exclaimed Hazel!

Lily entered the room her and Vic shared. She made her way over to the coral-coloured suitcase she and her mom had so carefully packed the other day. "Hmmm, bathing suits, bathing suits. What do I have that won't have Al yelling at me?" As she rummaged through the mass of clothes, Vic came in. "I have some too, if you need one," she remarked.

Once they were done, Victorie was wearing a light pink bandeau bikini with some trendy hot pink shades. Her breathtaking hair was in two messy space buns, and she looked hot as hell.

Lily was wearing a dark green push-up bikini that showed off all her great assets, and circular-framed black sunglasses. Her curly red hair was set off into a low side ponytail. The two girls made their way downstairs.

Teddy smiled as he saw his two favourite girls making their way down. His brown eyes racked Vic's body up and down, and he gave her an suggesting smile. Vic rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't fight the small smile that graced her lips. But his roommate was currently staring at Lily with his mouth wide open. She blushed as she noticed his gaze, and turned to face her brother and his best friend. Al opened his mouth, presumably to make a comment about her swimwear when the other 2 girls joined the party. And Al and Scorpius stood there, shell-shocked. Lily covered her mouth with her hand to smother a giggle as she watched their reactions.

Scorpius sucked in a breath. Rose was so breathtakingly beautiful. Her dark blue gems locked with his own, and the infamous Weasley blush started to take over her face. He glanced up and down her body, admiring the way her body looked in the lilac striped triangle bikini top she was sporting, and how good her sunglasses looked perched at the top of her untamable hair, that was currently in a loose braid. His gaze flicked back up to her eyes, and gave her an appreciative smirk.

Albus let out a long breath. Who knew Lyn was hiding all that under her unique fashion sense. The one-piece the spontaneous girl was showcasing was all black, and revealed a very open back. Hazel appeared at his side, along with Rolyn. "Okay gang, the swimming hole is quite far, so we're going to apparate. Those of you who can't, please grab the arm of someone who has their license. Rose, Lily, Scorpius, Albus, Lyn, and Rook all raised their hands."

"Okay, Rose with Victoire, Lily with Teddy, Albus with Hazel, Scorpius, you can grab Vic's other hand, Lyn grab mine, and Rook can go with Teddy. Is that clear?" asked Rolyn. "Okay let's go!"

The swimming hole was a scene out of a nature show. The water was crystal clear, and a free-falling waterfall completed the picture perfectly. "Oh my god, what are we waiting for?!" Lily exclaimed as she cannon-balled into the water with a giant SPLASH! "Hey, wait for me!" Al, grinning leptin as well, somehow managing to push Rosie in as well. She let out a shriek, and emerged wet-faced and fuming.

"Oh, Albus Severus Potter, Merlin help you. I'll get you!" She screamed as she chased after the black-haired boy. Albus let out a _very_ unmanly scream, as he ran off. "Scor, do something! She's insane!" The blond haired boy took off after them. "Oh no Rosie, we don't do that here." He whispered in her ear as he grabbed her body, restraining her from continuing her chase after Al. "Scorpius, let me go!" Rose struggled against his hold, but he was very strong. Guess all those hours at the quidditch pitch really did pay off after all.

Suddenly, Rose became aware of how close they were. Close enough she could smell his cologne. Close enough that if she turned around and was up on her tip-toes, she could reach his lips. No! Rose frantically shook her head. Yes, she always knew he was very attractive, but she had never wanted him this bad before. Not until recently. What was it with Malfoys being so attractive? Rose had never wanted him before this moment. What was happening?

**And, that's all for today folks! I'm so sorry it was so short, but the the next-next chapter will be super bomb. I know I didn't write too much about the actual swimming part, but it wasn't really that important to the storyline. Make sure to review, and I'll see you next time. XOXO**


	4. Gardening, mixed with a collision :)

**Hey! Welcome back to another update: Without further ado, let's get into it:**

Lyn smiled triumphantly as she grabbed another weed out of the ground. Since she was not yet 17, (as her birthday was in November, ugh) all of this work had to be done by hand. As her mom always said, it's common courtesy to always offer help to the hostess, and Lyn strongly believed in that rule. Wiping some sweat off her brow, she drew her hand to grab yet another of the pesky weeds, but was interrupted by a hand lightly tapping on her shoulder. As she turned around, she was met with the grinning face of Albus Potter.

"Hey, need some help?" Al asked with a smile. "That would be nice…"Lyn replied. She was suddenly aware of how sweaty and gross she was. Her stylish strawberry-blonde hair was in a messy loose ponytail, and sweat was all over the width of her brow. Lyn Wood wasn't one to care about her appearance much (or at all really,) but this guy in front of her was making her rethink her whole appearance, including the faded gray sweats and old Holyhead Harpies shirt that had belonged to her mom. So distracted was the girl that it wasn't until a while later that she noticed Al had already started helping with the weeds.

"Um, Al?" she tentatively asked him. "Yeah?" he asked as he paused in the middle of getting rid of a pesky weed. "You know, you could just use magic…" Lyn pointed out. "I could, but that defeats the purpose of working with you." Al responded with a lopsided smile. Lyn could feel her cheeks burning back as she smiled back at him.

"Come on Al, where are you?" Scorpius Malfoy let out a frustrated sigh as he looked in the deserted kitchen. He and Albus were planning to go browse around the village that was nearby, and buy some postcards to send back to those at home, but Al was NOWHERE to be found. Looks like he was going to have to go alone. Scorpius ran upstairs to grab his money, but not before bumping into a very attractive, but still annoying redhead with the brightest eyes of anyone he had seen before.

"Scorpius!" her voice sounded surprised, and also a little bit nervous. "Rose." he gave her a curt nod. "Where are you going?" Rose asked curiously. "I was looking for your bloody cousin, we were supposed to go get postcards to send back to our family members, but he's nowhere to be found. "Oh." There was a slight pause. "Which cousin?" Scorpius resisted the urge to chuckle. "Which cousin? And you're supposed to be the smartest in our year?" "Ohhhhh, you're talking about Albus. I saw him with Lyn gardening in the front. Suspicious, isn't it? Al had never shown any interest in gardening before." She added with a mischievous smirk.

"You wanna bet?" "Seriously Rose? A bet on what?" "Why, my dear Scorpius, on when our two idiot friends get their heads out of the gutter to see they're madly in love with each other." "Okay: I bet that they'll kiss, and end up groping each other as well as confessing their undying love before the end of seventh year." "Okay: I bet that they'll kiss, and confess before we leave this island." Rose finished with a smirk. "Fine, loser owns 10 galleons." "Deal." They shook hands, both trying to ignore the spark that ran through their hands as they touched.

"Okay, I'm going to go now, before dinner." Scorpius commentated, as he resumed his walk to his room. "Wait! Scorpius!" Rose exclaimed. "Yes?" "Can I come? I mean, I need to buy postcards too, and, well, I don't want to go alone. So can I go with you?" Rose looked at him with pleading eyes. His response died on his tongue as he stared at her gems. "Okay, fine. Meet me at the front in five." "Yes! Thank you!" Rose hurtled forward to give him a quick hug before disappearing into the room across from the one he and Al were staying in. Scorpius started after her. It was hard to believe that in one interaction he and Rose had gone from being best friend's cousin (who's too attractive for her own good,) to maybe, possibly friends who are going shopping together. This time he let the chuckle come.

"Teddy!" The blue-haired man turned to see his girlfriend of 3 years running towards him. He opened his arms wide and she tumbled right into them. He placed his head right on top of her head and held her close.

It was times like these that Ted and Vic treasured most. When everything that was troubling them just sort of faded away; and they could just enjoy the company of each other, without worrying about other things. Vic sighed, and Teddy could tell she loved and cherished this as much as he did. "I love you." Vic whispered. "I know. I love you too." Teddy said. What made this time different so much different from all the other times was the box in his pocket that seemed to be weighing a hundred pounds.

**Thank you guys so much again, for reading and reviewing. I know before I said that the next chapter will be lit, but it's actually going to be the next next chapter. I knowwwww, I said before, but I need to get some more development with the characters, especially with Lily and Rook, since they barely appeared in this chapter. (They actually didn't at all :) Make sure to review so I know what you think! Sorry it's so short...**


	5. Date as friends-get to know each other

**Starting off another chapter! Hi, and welcome back to MINUIMOL. I know, what a long story name. But, today promises to be eventful! Of course, a dance means dates. Maybe some of the couples will get together? Keep reading to find out! Also, school is almost over, which will mean that I'll have more time to work on expanding more stories. What do you guys think of me starting new stories, even though I haven't finished this one? I just have so many ideas, and I don't know where to start. Lemme know :) Okay, let's get started!**

Lily Luna Potter looked around the room that was supposed to be her temporary home. Victorie had disappeared, (shocking) and now Lily was alone, left to her own thoughts. As soon as Vic left the room, the room had a dampened, darkened feel. Heading out of the room (because it was unwelcoming all of a sudden,) Lily headed into the kitchen, looking to find some food. But the kitchen was already occupied by 2 residents. Rolyn looked up as Lily walked into the room. "Oh, I think Haz is calling me. Bye Rook!" Rolyn singsonged as she glided out of the room. Lily perplexed, turned to the other being in the room. "Is she always like that?"

Rook glanced up, and Lily felt a turn in her stomach as he flipped the messy, golden bangs out of his face. "Sometimes…" "So, since I'm bored, you wanna get to know each other?" Lily asked as she flopped down in the chair beside him. Yes, it was a bold move; but that was what she was known for: being impulsive. Rook looked startled, but smiled shyly at her. "Okay, you go first. What are some facts I need to know about you?"

"Hm," Lily bit her lip; "My dream job is to be a quidditch commentator…" "Wait: a quidditch commentator?" Rook interrupted, fighting the urge to chuckle. "Yes." shooting him a death glare, she continued. "Whenever I straighten my hair, it turns a shade darker. I wear contact lenses, and I want a pet shark. Your turn!"

"Okay, my dream job is anything to do with quittuch except for the actual flying. I want a bet bunny, my older sister is the most annoying person on earth, and my favourite subject is History of Magic." "You like History of Magic?" Lily asked, incredulously. "Yep. But our teacher's wayyyyyy better than that old Prof. Binns that teaches at Hogwarts." Lily couldn't help but agree. Whoever taught HOM must be better than a DEAD ghost. As these two chatted, the hours flew by. Before they knew it, Lyn and Albus were heading in, both covered head to toe with dust, grime, and dirt. But both of them still looked so radiant, it was unbelievable. "Wow. What did you guys do?" asked Lily, as she smirked at both of them. "Welllllll….."

Albus groaned as he pulled yet another one of the troublesome weeds out of the ground. He would've **never** tried anything related to gardening before this moment, (something Uncle Neville had never gotten over) but here he was, on his knees, helping the irreplaceable soul beside him. Ever since he had come to realize that he fancied his favourite cousin's best friend, he had started to do some crazy things...including this gardening job. Yes, he was already seventeen, so he could use magic, but as he said before, then he would spend less time with Lyn. After all, this was all so he could interact with Lyn. But they hadn't been chatting much, mostly just working side-by-side. "Ow!" He could've sworn he got whiplash, by how fast he turned around.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. This stupid gnome bit me." The sore finger was bright red, a stark contrast to her usually pale complexion. "Wait," the gnomes were climbing up all around them. "No! They'll undo everything we've done! How do you get rid of idiotic gnomes?" By now, Lyn was freaking out. Her ponytail was coming undone, and her eyes were big and innocent. "Back home in Godric's Hollow, Dad yanks them around and throws them as far as he can. I'm pretty sure that makes them dizzy and delays the gnomes from coming back, at least for a little while." Al said, shrugging one shoulder. "Let's do it." Both of them grabbed some gnomes and swung them, laughing. After a few rounds of this, the two were dizzy and muddy, but having fun. Lyn couldn't remember a time she'd laughed so hard in her life! Albus was so funny, and easy to get along with, how did she not notice this before?

"So, you got rid of gnomes huh?" Rook asked, glancing at Lily from the corner of his eye. "Pretty much!" Lyn replied. "So," as Lily changed the subject, she sent a secret node to Rook. "Rook here was telling me about the summer splash." "oh yeah, it's the best time! Formal wear, so I hope you brought nice clothes." "Oh, when?" asked Lily's older brother. "Tomorrow night?" Rook offered sheepishly. "What?" Victorie and Teddy had come back inside. They relayed the information again.

"That's really short notice…" Teddy remarked, chewing on his bottom lip. "I think it's a given that we'll be going together." Vic spoke up, motioning between her and Ted. "Well, duh." He circled his arms around her midriff, trapping Vic's back to his chest. She turned around and sent him a smile and a wink. "AHEM; anyways, you'll need dates. Lyn doesn't have one, my dear brother doesn't have one...you know what the solution is? You go **together.**" "Subtle." Rook murmured to her. "I try." "What do you guys say?" Victorie questioned the pair. "As friends." Teddy added quickly. Both of them relaxed considerably. "Oh yeah, as friends." "Of course, Lyn's chill." Both of them tried to ignore the feeling that they wanted it to be more than friends. A knock at the door sounded, and all eyes were drawn there. "So what'd we miss?" Rose asked dryly.

BEFORE, WITH ROSE AND SCORPIUS

"Frick, what do I need? Purse, money, oh I need to change too." After, Rose was ready for anything. Her curls were in two curly space buns that screamed 'CHIC'. Her dark blue irises were outlined faintly with black eyeliner, and her lips were a nude pink. Her outfit consisted of a trendy crop top, a plain white one, that had gold glittery lip prints on the right top corner. Over, she had attached her favourite locket. The christmas of '17 had gave her this precious locket, but she had never found out who gave it to her. Which was a shame, because it was so special, and valuable (at least to her anyway.) All that, with ripped jeans, and faux-fur boots, completed the perfect 'shopping' outfit. Rose raced downstairs, and skidded to a stop in front of Scorpius Malfoy. She gazed up and stared at him. He was downing a pale blue t-shirt that had the hogwarts logo on it, and dark blue jeans. "Ready to go?" He asked her. "Yep!"

The village was bustling and crowded. Much like the village of Hogsmeade, but this was unfamiliar and dusty. Rose unconsciously gripped Scorpius' hand, to which he sent a slight smile to. "Okay, where are the postcards?" Because she was so short (5'3) Rose had to tippie-toe to even try to glance over the heads of the people. "Short." Scorpius mocked under his breath teasingly as he stepped in front of her. "I see it. This way." Taking hold of her hand again, he guided the two of them through the large crowd. Rose jumped when he grabbed her hand. "Hey!" "You grabbed my hand first…" Scorpius remarked as he smirked at her. Pouting, Rose let him continue.

Stopping in front of a quaint little shop, Scorpius held the door open for his flower. Wait, his? I don't think so, at least not yet. "Wow, he can be polite sometimes." Rose remarked snarkily as she stepped through the door. She was greeted with a happy looking shop. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, postcards on all the walls, and a cute stuffed animal. Stepping closer to the flowers, the sweet fragrance overtook Rose's senses. Inhaling deeply, with a contented grin, she picked out a very beautiful postcard.

"What's your favourite flower? Oh, let me guess: a rose?" Scorpius had somehow snuck up behind her, and now Rose's senses were overtaken by the smell of him. Hmmm, he smelled like- "Hello? Anyone in there?" "Oh! No, it's not a rose, I know shocking, but roses are second. My favourite though, are definitely cherry blossoms. It's sad though, I can only see them during late april, or early May. What about you?" Rose found herself generally interested in what his answer was going to be. "Me? Daisies. They smell so good. But I could move over for a Rose." Scorpius smiled winningly at her. "You're unbelievable." Shaking her head, Rose went to the counter to pay. "Wait! Rose!"

His long legs caught up to her faster than she would've thought. "Rose!" "What, Scorpius. What is it?" she was annoyed, he could tell, but she was so hot when she was pissed. "Why are you running away?" "I'm not. Vic just told me about some shitty dance tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I have anything to wear." "Dance?"

"Yes, do you ever listen to anything I say? Ugh-``''Wear your hair down." "What?" perplexed, Rose glanced at him. "I said, wear your hair down." Scorpius could feel his heart thudding in his chest. He knew what he was doing was risky, but he was placed in Gryffindor for a reason. When she didn't respond, Scorpius took the initiative to continue. "I mean, I never see you with your hair down. It's such a waste, your hair is so gorgeous and you always hide it behind some hairstyle. Don't get me wrong, these hairstyles are super cute, but-" realizing he was rambling, he tried to summarize it up. "Just, I think you'd look really good with your hair down. Please?" Rose stared at him with something askance to wonder and awe. He noticed her hair? He thought it was gorgeous? The only reason she didn't wear it down was because it was a hassle to tame. But now; she'd wear it down everyday if he told her too. "Okay." "What?" "I said, yes. I'll wear it down." And they headed back to the house.

"It's getting late. Good night everyone!" Hazel and Rolyn headed up to their rooms. Rose's hand shot out and tapped Scorpius on the shoulder. As he turned around, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear "save me a dance." He was left to watch her hips sway as she headed upstairs. As if he'd dance with anyone else...

**OOF! That was probably my fave chapters to write so far. Drop a review so I'd know what you think. Bet you weren't expecting that. Yes, I know Rose and Scorpius aren't going to the dance together, but we're getting there. Slowly… yeah, the next chapter might take a while because it has 2 parts: the preparation and the actual dancing. So stay tuned for that! 'Till next time! **


	6. SuMmEr SpLaSh

**First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. Life got super busy, between a number of camps and visiting with distant relatives from Hong Kong, writing was put on the back burner. I don't want to waste any more time, so this update has two parts, the preparation and the actual dance part. Let's get right into it...hope you enjoy!**

"Oh my god, what do I wear?" It was 5'oclock, and Lyn was freaking out. The dance wasn't until 7:30 ish, but Lyn and Rose were in their rooms getting ready. Rose glanced over at her hysterical best friend. No matter how many times Lyn and Albus insisted they were going to the dance as "just friends," she and both of them knew that they wanted it to be more than that. Rose smiled. "How about that lilac one?" "What? No, I've worn that before."

"Listen Lyn," Rose shuffled over to sit beside her best friend, "As you said, you're just going as friends. Al won't care. In fact: I'm pretty sure he'll think you look good in anything you wear." She watched the effect it had on her friend with those words. Her cheeks turned a bright pink, and she pursed her lips. "Coming from 'me and Scorpius are best friends now'. Why were you spending time with him anyway? The Rose I know would never have willingly spent time with him."

"I guess I just never noticed him for who he really is before." Rose admitted sheepishly, as she rubbed her neck. "Oh, merlin's beard! Is Rose Weasley admitting to liking Scorpius Malfoy?" "Shhhh! Not so loudly…" Rose hissed. "Omg, you are!" Lyn began to laugh, clutching at her stomach as she fell off the bed. Rose started to giggle too. "I know right? He promised to save me a dance." But while gossiping, these two weren't the only girls getting ready for the party.

Lily straightened yet another of her long red curls, successful turning the colour into a darker shade of red. "What do you think Vic? Looking good?" Victorie glanced up from where she was doing her nails a pretty periwinkle shade of blue. "Yes! Just make sure you leave the curls at the front, so I can do your hair into the half-up, half-down thing you wanted." "Okay!" Lily started on another of her curls while Vic resumed her nail polish appliance. Suddenly there came a knock on the door. "Come in!" Vic hollered.

The door swung open to reveal Hazel, already in all her dance stuff. "What? You're already done?" Lily gaped, astonished. "Yep! What do ya think?" She twirled around. Hazel had her dark curly chestnut hair in a low bun, with a few curly tendrils hanging in her face. Her makeup look consisted of a shimmery golden shade spread over the width of her eyeshade, and thick black lashes. Her lips were a bright, fluorescent red, and her dress was a red super down daisy skater dress that fell to her knees. Strappy heels were on her feet. "Yeah, I'm heading in early to help. Also, Rolyn will be here if you need anything. She has a serious migraine, and is sadly not going to the party, but she's HERE. K, imma be late, so I'm going to go. See you later chickas!" And with that Hazel departed.

_WITH THE GUYS_

Teddy threw another dress shirt that had a _stain _on it out of the narrow closet. "Come on! Where are all my new dress shirts that I bought from London?" Rook poked his head out from behind his laptop where he had been sitting for the past half-hour. "You went to muggle London? I thought wizards in Britain shopped at Diagon Alley." "Kid, you're way too smart for your own good." Teddy remarked. "Yes, most wizards shop in Diagon Alley, but they sell witch and wizard dress robes. For a shindig like this, you have to wear muggle clothes, like a suit. That's why I forced myself to go buy these." Teddy motioned to the closet that hopefully held his suit that he waited an hour and a half for a couple of weeks ago.

"Oh shit. I only brought robes!" Rook exclaimed. Ted could tell from where he was standing that the young adolescent was starting to panic. "Don't panic kid. You look about the same size as Albus, why don't you go and see if he has anything extra for you to borrow?" "You'd think he'd do that for me?" Rook couldn't seem to wrap his head around the fact that Albus would be willing to do that for him, a complete stranger until a few days ago. "Yeah!" Teddy, having grown up with the second son of Harry Potter had seen the kindness hidden in his heart. Albus Severus Potter had inherited really good traits for both of the people he was named after :)

Albus glanced at himself, standing in the length of the mirror. After a couple of long hours wrestling with his messy, uncontrollable hair, it still...stuck up in every which way. Not that it looked bad, in fact Albus had no less than 265 compliments on how good his hair looked like when he hardly tried. A throaty sigh interrupted his musings.

"What?" Albus asked, amused as he glanced at his best friend. Scorpius pressed a light blue pillow onto his face. Before he could get another word in, there was a soft knock on the door. Waving his wand to open the door, Rook Thompson stepped in. "Oh, hi Rook." Albus sent an easy smile his way. Scorpius lifted the pillow off his face and nodded his head in the direction of Rook. "What are you doing here?" Albus asked curiously. "Oh. Well, you know the dance that's going down in (checks his watch) 2 1⁄2 hours? Well, my dumbass forgot to bring a suit. And apparently wizarding robes isn't appropriate to wear for this dance. When I mentioned this to Teddy, he said you might have some spare robes that maybe I could borrow, if you're not using them?" he finished nervously. Blinking once, Albus seemed to come back to the room. "Oh! Of course!"

Rose looked over her appearance with a smile. Her gorgeous curls, the same as her mother's in every shape and way except colour which was the customary Weasley red were down (as Scorpius Malfoy had so charmingly asked her too.) Even though Rose NEVER did this, it looked so good down. Her makeup look consisted of very full lashes, (natural lashes) that was shadowed by a thin, black eyeliner. Her dark blue irises seemed to glimmer. Rose's outfit was a princess off the shoulder, chiffon lace dress that was a lilac shade, that matched the lilac eyeshadow Rose was sporting. Her full skirt twirled around as Rose did a short twirl. Including the 2 inch heels that was placed on her feet placed her at a whopping 5'5. The same height as her darling cousin Lily Luna Potter. Twisting her wand, Rose apparted to the Summer Splash!

Victoire moaned as she tangled her hands in Teddy's hair. They had been making out for the past half hour. Teddy tried to pull away, but Victorie just pulled him closer and brought her lips up to his once more. It wasn't until a few long minutes that their lips came up for air once more. "Vic-" Ted gasped. "The-oh god don't stop that- summer sp-lash." "Oh, fuck! I forgot about that." As the young adults stood up, they surveyed how much damage was done. "Ted, why didn't you remind me? Now we're going to be late to the first party here." Vic complained as she redid her hair in the high bouncy ponytail she had up before.

"Excuse me, how is this fault?" Teddy asked indignantly. "YOU were the one who was distracting me!" "Oh please," scoffed Victoire as she redid her bright pink lips. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy that. Remember that -oh god don't stop that- part?" "Oh yeah? Who was the one moaning like their life depended on it? That's what I thought." concluded Teddy triumphantly as Victorie's cheeks flushed the same shade of her lipstick. "Whatever. Let's just go." As they apparted, Vic couldn't help the slight smile that graced her lips as was customary whenever she argued with her boyfriend.

_AT THE SUMMER SPLASH_

Lily glanced around for a familiar face. She had been wandering around for about 20 minutes, offering a polite smile for those who stared at her. Of course, she could hardly blame them. Lily was wearing an emerald halter style dress that went to her knees. The silk material danced between her knees and made her feel like a royal princess. Victoire as promised, had helped her do her hair into a half up half down that left her newly straightened hair on display for all to see. Lily's makeup look had the same theme as her dress, and long dangly emeralds hung from her ears. But the one thing that was killing her was the heels she had placed on her feet. Yes; it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was really regretting it. Ouch, was the one thought running through her head, and now her throat was really starting to hurt.

"Excuse me, but would you like a drink?" a deep, melodic voice answered from behind her. Lily slowly turned to see a dashing guy wearing a gray suit and a daisy corsage. As she continued to give him a confused stare, he started again. "Oh, I'm severely sorry for my lack of manners. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mark Davis. And you are?" smiling slightly, Lily answered. "I'm Lily." "Lily, eh? You have a last name?" "I'd just prefer if you knew me as just Lily." "Okay, just Lily, would you like a drink? You look mighty thirsty. And maybe after, you might grant me a dance?" Hesitating for only a brief moment, Lily smiled. "That would be great, thanks."

Rose was chatting with Hazel when she spotted Albus and Scorpius entering the room. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she observed him. Scorpius Malfoy was easily the best looking guy in the room. She turned back to Hazel was halfway across the room talking to a white guy. She was flirting, Rose could tell. So, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, she made her way over to them. Greeting her favourite male cousin first, they held an easy conversation, but Rose could feel Scor's eyes on her as she stood there. "So where is Lyn exactly?" Albus asked, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably as Rose could hear the nervous and equal parts excitement under his tone. Biting her lip to stop the smile that threatened to show on her face Rose answered. "I think I saw her near the balcony." "Okay thanks!" and with that, Albus dispersed. Now it was just her and Scorpius standing there.

He reached out and touched one of her curls that hung around her body, highlighting all the curves and Scorpius felt his mouth go dry. "You put your hair down." he remarked in a husky voice. Rose felt a shudder go through her body at his tone. She bit her lip slowly, missing the way his eyes shot right to them. "Of course I did. You asked me too." she replied in an innocent tone. Scorpius had to close his eyes to stop himself from grabbing her and snogging the little witch silly. What? Him, Scorpius Malfoy liked Rose Weasley? Well, yes. The more time he spent in her company, the harder he fell. But his feelings were getting harder to conceal. Albus had already noticed the darkening of his eyes when he had spotted her in that dress with her hair down. He would have to be more careful, as he wasn't ready for anyone- least of all her- to find out his real feelings for her. He opened his eyes to see the top of her head at his eye level.

"Are you wearing heels?" he asked, surprised. "Uh, yeah." Rose confirmed, with an added eye roll at the end. That was why, he realized: she was taller all of a sudden. Usually her head just barely grazed his shoulder. Scorpius opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a voice echoing over the whole party. "Hello! If we haven't met yet, I'm Hazel. Just look for the girl dancing in the middle of the room. Anyways, this summer splash was held for a few very special guests. Rose and Scorpius locked eyes, both looking as shocked as they felt. "They will be staying here for a while, and I'd like to introduce them to you. So will Albus, Lily, Victorie, Teddy, Rose, Scorpius and Brooklyn- oh sorry **Lyn **come up?"

Wordlessly, Scorpius held out his hand for Rose, which she took gratefully as they started walking towards the stage where they could now see Hazel. From the side came Lyn and Albus, the latter looking mighty frustrated about something. Victorie and Teddy were there already, standing awkwardly on the stage beside Hazel. But Lily was nowhere to be seen.

Hazel smiled when the duo reached her.

"Where's Lily?" whispered Rose to Scorpius. So he wasn't the only one who had noticed. Hazel extended the microphone to Albus. "Albus, is there anything you'd like to say?" Rose glanced at Victorie's best friend. She was smiling mischievously and Rose knew it was no mistake that Albus had been given the chance to speak first. Surely Victorie would have mentioned that Albus, when he was mad about something spoke his mind...a trait he had surely inherited from her Uncle Harry.

"As a matter of fact I would, as I was about to talk to someone, when you began to talk Hazel." though Rose's cousin spoke with a steady voice, Scorpius could hear his best friend's nervous tone under his monotone voice. He turned to face Lyn, and he heard Rose give a gasp of surprise. He was pretty shocked himself to say the least, out of all the things he had expected Albus to say, this wasn't very high on the list.

Lyn could hear her heart beating fast under the coral wrap dress she wore. Rose's cousin reached out and tucked a loose strand of golden-blonde hair behind her ear. Lyn was pretty sure the ruby strands dangling from her ears were distracting him from her face, and she immediately regretted putting them on.

"Lyn." Albus started, taking a big breath. "The first time I set eyes on you, you were my favourite cousin's best friend. 6 years down the line and nothing has changed, except my feelings for you." Lyn could feel her heart literally trying to burst out of her chest she'd been waiting for this moment for so long. Now that it was actually happening though, she was pretty sure her face was on fire. "I like you, Lyn. But even though I just said my feelings, I just wanted you to know that I don't want to pressure you into saying anything if you don't actually feel anything. I just hope that if you don't feel the same way as I do, I hope we can still be friends." he ended with a lopsided slight smile, that accelerated Lyn's heartbeat.

She opened her mouth to respond when a cough stopped her. Turning her head, she saw the eyes of what seemed like a million people staring at her. Whoops, she had forgotten that they were on stage. Laughing shakily, she turned back to face her crush. Albus's eyes had turned doubtful. "Albus…I like you too." she didn't say anything else, but there was nothing else to be said. The applause of the crowd was enough. The excited cry of her best friend as she hugged both of them so tightly until they couldn't breathe was enough. How genuinely happy Scorpius was for them was enough. Teddy and Victoire's matching grins were enough. And seeing Albus so happy, truly happy as they smiled like fools at each other was enough. Finally, Lyn Wood found something that was more than enough.

The aftermath of confessing their feelings kept the 6 of the happy friends together. Of course, Lyn and Albus were still grinning, but Rose couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Where was Lily? Victorie and Teddy had come with her to look all around the party, but she was nowhere to be found. Hazel assured them that Lily was probably fine, but none of them were really that assured. When a blonde friend of Hazel told them she saw Lily apparte, they rushed home to find Lily sound asleep on the couch. Rose collapsed in a pile of relief finding her baby cousin safe, but Albus (who had been worried about his little sis) ran over to check that she was fine. There were traces on her face that looked suspiciously like tear marks. But she was sound asleep, and nobody really wanted to wake her up and interrogate her. It would have to wait until tomorrow.

**There you have it! I finally finished chapter 6...sorry guys for the extreme wait! And now Albus and Lyn are together! This story isn't going to be the longest, but I have so much planned for sequels and such. So yes, I do know what I want to happen. I'm guessing there will be about 10 more chapters or so...before I start writing the next instalment! Again, don't forget to review, and I'll be back with another chapter soon. Don't worry, all we be explained soon. BYE!**


	7. what really happened

**Hi guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait, school is kicking my ass. This chapter is going to be explaining Lily's POV of the party. But I was thinking, I wanted to try something new. So the first part of this will be written in 1st person. I know, it's a big change, but it's just something I'm trying out. Let me know if you like it and maybe I'll write a story in 1st person? Idk, sorry if you hate it. This won't be permanent, don't worry. Longer A\N at the end :))**

As soon as I opened my eyes, flashbacks of the night crashed into my mind and I closed my eyes again to shut the memories back. I didn't want to remember Mark's smile and what he did after...ugh now I'm thinking about it. As I opened my eyes for the second time that morning, there was something in my line of vision that I had missed before. My brother's green eyes staring at me in a mixture of anger and worry.

"Lily! Did you know how worried we were? We looked all over the party for you. Lucky that Penelope saw you leaving, or we would have wasted more time searching for you." he continued talking, but I tuned him out. The tears that I had been holding back since I woke up finally started to spill over my cheeks. Albus stopped talking abruptly. "Oh shit. Uh...I'm sorry Lils. I was just worried uh- Rose!" Footsteps came running down the stairs but the blonde locks let me know that this was not Rose.

"Albus, what did you do?" my eldest cousin Victoire admonished. For a strange reason, I was relieved that Vic had come down instead of Rose. I love Rose so much, of course, but she would have questioned me nonstop and been so stressed out, and even though we loved how caring and helping Rose was, I just couldn't deal with that right now. Not after Mark used me. Victoire, I know, would be attentive and calm. She wouldn't push for answers right away, but simply let me know that she was there for me. And I respected and loved that about there. Vic was such a great older sister to Dom and Louis, and she was my favourite cousin right now.

Before I knew it, Victoire was shooing Albus away, the latter shouting apologies and promising to come back to check on me later. Once he was gone, Fleur's daughter focused her sole attention on me. "You want to go for a walk?" she asked me. I nodded my head mutely. I stood up from the couch, wincing as my back cracked from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Wordlessly, Victoire handed me a lime green coat that I shrugged over my green dress. Wait, my green dress? I guess I didn't change once I came back.

"Can I change first?" Victorie produced a change of clothes out of literally nowhere and handed it to me. I sent her a grateful smile, as I quickly put on the loose white tee and grey sweats. I placed the lime green coat on once more and looked around the room, spotting Victoire waiting by the front door. I hadn't really looked at her appearance, given what had already happened this morning. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun, perched at the top of her head.

Her light blue eyes had noticeable bags under, and her outfit was not Victorie. Her outfit was not as put together as she was known for. I knew that light pink halter top, but not paired with dark blue overalls and converse. Surprisingly, I loved wearing muggle clothes, much preferring them to the boring wizarding robes. Our whole family was used to it, dad made us visit his muggle cousin's a few times a year. I walked over to Victoire, and we headed outside.

The temperature was chilly. This early in the morning, I could see the morning dew in the drops on the plants surrounding my feet as I walked. I knew my cousin was beside me, there for me, but I stayed quiet. I knew Vic wouldn't push me to say anything. The silence stretched on until I took an abrupt stop. Victorie halted beside me, staring at me with worried eyes. I motioned to a log positioned a little to the side and she nodded, and we sat down together. Victoire waited for me to start, what I was sure to be a long winded rant.

I took a deep breath. "First, I want to say sorry for making you guys worry." I waited to hear her response. "It's fine Lily. We're just glad you're safe and okay. It wasn't me who was extremely worried though. That was Rose and Rook." I felt a fresh wave of guilt stretch over my body. Poor Rose, I knew how she was. But wait, did she say Rook? "Rook?" I asked Victoire. My confusion must have been written over my face because she responded kindly. "Yes...of course he didn't show it as obviously as Rose, or even Albus, but anyone with two eyes and a brain could sense his worry for you."

My brain went into multiple scenarios, of why and when and how and what and most of all why. I shut my eyes to block all that out. Of course I couldn't deny that Rook was cute. As Vic said, anyone with two eyes and a brain, could see. With his floppy sandy-blonde hair and hazel eyes, I shook my head and forced those distracting thoughts out of my mind. "Well, that's kind of him, but I'm perfectly fine." "Are you really Lily?" I sighed. "No, I'm not." I steaded myself and opened my mouth to begin the story.

_**FLASHBACK**_

I followed Mark to the drink table, my green halter dress swishing around my knees. He glanced back and gave me an enamoured smile, and I blushed prettily. It had been too long since I'd had a man waiting on hand and foot for me. And boy, was Mr. Mark Davis a man! Nothing like those losers who I'd dated in the past. He was so tall, 6'11, with a dad bod! With black curls and dashing navy irises, he definitely could've gotten any girl here. It was a wonder that he had chosen me. "Vic, I was just so flattered that he had chosen me. I sometimes feel like I'm invisible when I'm standing beside you, Rose, heck even Lyn! No, (for Victoire had opened her mouth to argue,) you're all so gorgeous and millions of guys like you and I've always had self-doubts. Now let me continue! He poured me a drink into an enchanted glass that kept refilling, before handing it to me. I smiled my thanks and took a sip. "And before you say anything, I did perform the charm to see if he had drugged it in any way, shape or form. Discreetly, of course. It was negative." Then the new song came on, the Weird Sisters one. And Vic, I dunno how to explain it, but the way he asked, it was like no one was there except us two! We danced for what seemed like a very long time. I was quite tipsy,for as you know, I'm not very good at keeping my liquor down.

He (Mark) pulled me close enough that I could smell the whiskey on his breath. He leaned down and kissed me. And you would not believe the shame that befalls me when I admit that in my drunken state I reciprocated. You could argue that he was taking advantage of me, but at that moment, I couldn't care less. Vic, just after the whole fiasco with Darren it felt so good to be wanted, desired. And YES I know how that makes me sound. Like someone who wants to be an object, but I'm just so sick and tired of guys only wanting to be with me for my body, or worse who my parents are. I just want a good guy, who wants me for who I am! The irony was it was the complete opposite...We were still kissing when suddenly he pulled away from me abruptly. I was very confused and might I say it, dismayed. He cleared his voice and shouted "Martha!"

Who was Martha? I asked myself. To which I realized, his lady acquaintance, for lack of a better word, was Martha. The latter was now alternating furiously between righteous anger and overwhelming sadness. The shame returned, now amplified by 100. I had helped this jerk cheat on her. I was no better than Mia and Darren! Disgust filled my whole body as I pushed away from him. She had her hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes. I shook my head as my face, looking just as devastated and betrayed, flashed before my eyes. I knew then that I had to get out, and fast. Martha (and I would know, as I had been in her shoes not too long ago,) would always think of me as a slut. She might not recognize me in the dim light, but sooner or later the trademarked hair, and other defining characteristics. Yes, Vic, I realize I could have handled the situation better, but at that moment, I couldn't think straight. All the memories of my toxic relationship came speeding back to me, and I was feeling dizzy all over again, the difference being this time it wasn't from alcohol. Instead of rushing over to her and trying to console what seemed to me like a lose-lose situation, and slapping blegh-Mark in the face and everything I wished I had done with Darren, I left. Cowardly, I ran away from the situation, away from poor MARTHA and her disgusting scum of the earth boyfriend. When I reached home, I was crying so hard I could barely see where I was going. Blinded by the tears, I fell into the first surface I could see, which ultimately was the couch where you found me.

_FLASHBACK OVER_

It was at this moment when I realized I had been talking for 20 minutes straight, and I stopped to catch my breath. Something wet glided down my face, and it took me a moment to realize that my own tears were now cascading down my face and I gingerly raised my finger to wipe them away. Victorie stood quietly beside me as I regathered myself and turned to face her.

"I hope you don't think any less of me now." I said quietly as I redirected my gaze down to the ground. "No. I don't." Vic said it so firmly, so definitely, that I brought my eyes up to her face. She smiled ever so slightly at me, and I allowed the tiniest hint of a smile back. She sighed deeply. "I won't lie to you that you could have handled the whole situation better. But I'm proud of you too." "For what?" I was astonished. I couldn't see anything about the situation that paints me in a favourable light, at all. Vic smiled, a bigger one this time. "The Lily two months ago would have been absolutely wrecked by this." I opened my mouth to protest but she held up a hand before I could get a word in edgewise. "Nope, you have to let me finish first. I'm not saying you're not feeling guilty about it. Any sane person with a brain and a heart would be for either cheating or helping with cheating, whether intentionally or not. But the Lily you are now is better than that. Do you understand where I'm going with this?" I shook my head no.

"People who have been cheated on tend to want to cheat on others- to inflict the same pain that was inflicted on them on other people. The hope of the pain eventually just going away is a big motivator. The situation was a lose-lose, but you handled it very well given the circumstances. For that I'm very proud of you."

I bit my lower lip uncertainty. Vic definitely had a point in that there was no point in beating myself up. But the amount of guilt that still flooded my system urged me to not forget about the event. But maybe that was exactly what Vic was trying to show me. Mistakes were inevitable, it was just being human. While there were many things I wished I could've changed about the situation, it was done and nothing could change that: not even countless pleas of things done differently.

I stood up and let a hesitant smile grace my face. Vic noticed and she let out her grin, one that rivaled the sun. (yes, teddy really says that.) "thank you vic." was all I said but she and I both knew it spoke volumes.

"Are you ready to head back now?" Vic asked curiously? "We can always stay out here a little while longer if you need some time…"

"No, I'm ready." I turned on my heel to head back to the home. Vic quickly lengthened her stride to catch up to me. "You do know Rose is going to freak out right?" she asked me with a mischievous grin. "Yes. I know and I can't wait!"

At that moment a real grin spread across my face. This summer was going to be so amazing, and I couldn't wait. Even if that did mean I'd have to deal with Rose and her crazy attitudes.

**Phew! Y'all, I started this chapter legit back in January, and here I am finishing it in June. I'm going to try and write a lot more, as we're all in quarantine...also I've been rereading this story and it's kinda bad, but I think I'm going to stick with it for now. Hope you enjoyed this update and please review ;).**


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